St. Barts has an area of 21 km² and a population of 8,398 (census 2006). Its capital is Gustavia, which is also its main harbor. It is the only Caribbean island to have historically been a Swedishcolony for any significant length of time (Guadeloupe only having been one briefly, at the end of the Napoleonic Wars). Symbolism from the Swedish national arms, the three crowns, still appears in the island's coat of arms. The language, cuisine and culture are distinctly French.

Economy

INSEE estimated that the total GDP of Saint Barthélemy amounted to 179 million euros in 1999 (US$191 million at 1999 exchanges rates; US$255 million at Oct. 2007 exchange rates).[3] In that same year the GDP per capita of St. Barts was 26,000 euros (US$27,700 at 1999 exchanges rates; US$37,000 at Oct. 2007 exchange rates), which was 10% higher than the average GDP per capita of metropolitan France in 1999.[3] Tourism explains in a large measure the very high standard of living[citation needed] on the island.

Tourism

St. Barts has long been considered a playground of the rich and famous and is known for its beautiful pristine beaches, gourmet dining in chic bistros and high-end designers.

St. Barts has about 25 hotels, most of them with 15 rooms or fewer. The largest has 58 rooms. Hotels are classified in the traditional French manner 3 Star, 4 Star and 4 Star Luxe.

Most of the rooms allocated to tourism on St Barts are found in private villas. There are approximately 400 privately owned villas available for rent on the island.

History

Saint Barthélemy was first claimed by France, in 1648. It was given to Sweden in 1784 (in exchange for trade rights in Gothenburg), which sold it back to France in 1878.

Slavery was practiced in St. Barts under the "Ordinance concerning the Police of Slaves and free Coloured People"[4] of 1787. The last legally owned slaves in the Swedish colony of St. Barts were bought free by the state on 9 October 1847.[5] The Swedish period left its mark in the names of many of the streets and the town Gustavia (in honor of King Gustav III), and the presence of Sweden's national arms, the Tre Kronor in the island's coat of arms.

Gustavia, which is the main town of the island, was named after King Gustav III of Sweden, and remains as a reflection of the Swedish period.

The oldest settlement still remaining is the village of Lorient (or L'Orient), although scattered in every cemetery on the island can be found Swedish grave markers. Lorient's sister village on the French mainland is the city of Lorient on the southern coast of Brittany. The population is spread among a number of quartiers, roughly corresponding to settlements. Besides the capital Gustavia, there are:

Anse des Cayes

Grand Fond

Grand Cul-de-Sac

Petit Cul-de-Sac

Quartier de Colombier

Quartier de la Grande Saline

Quartier de la petite Saline

Quartier de Public

Quartier de Toiny

Quartier des Flamands et Merlette

Quartier du Corossol

Quartier du Marigot

Quartier du Roy

Quartier de Vitet

Quartier de Devé

Quartier de Lurin

Quartier de Gouverneur

Quartier Lorient (oldest settlement)

Quartier Saint-Jean

Beaches

Of the 21 beaches on the small island, several are considered especially inviting. On the southern side of the island, Saline is a pristine beach with no development. On the western edge of the island is Colombier beach, which is only reachable by boat or a hike. St. Jean, Flamands and Grand-Cul-de-Sac beaches are also popular and attractive beaches which have hotels and other establishments on them. Shell Beach is popular for families with kids as it has little surf.

St. Barts has a tidal difference of only 8–15 cm. The beaches vary according to ocean currents — the weather travels onto the island following the sun from the East. One of the main surfing beaches (Toiny) is known for its riptide, while Grand Fond is one of the island's only non-swimming beaches. Although tourism doesn't allude to it, there are a small variety of warm water sharks in the Caribbean. So, swimming at dusk and dawn or in murky waters is not recommended. Otherwise, scuba and snorkeling are a great way to see the nurse sharks, lobsters, conch and green sea turtles that abound in the waters surrounding St. Barts.

The beach of Grand Cul-de-Sac is the easiest beach in the Caribbean for learning sailing, windsurfing and kitesurfing as it has a reef which closes off the entire bay. The current that passes outside the reef here also carries the migrating whales and dolphins.

Demographics

According to the January 2007 census, the population of St. Barts is 8,450 inhabitants,[2] with a population density of 402 inh. per km² in 2007, white people in a large majority. Most of the population are French-speaking descendants of the first settlers.

Many of the full time residents are French citizens who work at the various establishments on the island. French is the primary language spoken, the natives' languages (patois and creole) are still surviving, but many residents also speak English, particularly at hotels and restaurants. The French patois is spoken in the leeward portion of the island and is closely related to Quebec French whereas a French Creole related to Antillean Creole is spoken in the windward portion. Both varieties of language are spoken exclusively by a white population of European descent.[6]

Transportation

St. Barts has a small airport known as Gustaf III Airport (IATA: SBH, ICAO: TFFJ) that is served by small regional commercial aircraft and charters. Most visiting aircraft carry fewer than twenty passengers, such as the Twin Otter, a common sight around St. Barts and throughout the northern West Indies. The short airstrip is at the base of a gentle slope ending directly on the beach at St Jean. The arrival descent is over the hilltop traffic circle and departing planes fly right over the heads of sunbathers on St. Jean Beach (although small signs advise sunbathers not to lie directly at the end of the runway). Due to the close proximity of arriving and departing planes, either location is ideal for viewing by aircraft enthusiasts. The nearest commercial jet airport is on the neighboring island of St. Martin: Princess Juliana International Airport (IATA: SXM, ICAO: TNCM).

Ferries to and from St. Martin are the only other real option (although the passage from St. Martin to St. Barts is often rough), unless one is arriving by private charter boats/yachts.

From Wikitravel

Contents

Understand

French

Sleep

St. Barth has about 25 hotels, most of them with 15 rooms or
fewer, and the largest, the Guanahani has just 70 rooms. Hotels are
classified in the traditional French manner 3 Star, 4 Star and 4
Star Luxe.

Villa vacations are extremely popular and there are hundreds of
villas terraced into the hillsides throughout the island as well as
many beachfront locations. Villas here can range from one-bedroom
bungalows to large luxurious homes.

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